Would you believe this is a gym and cycling studio?

Only in Dubai would you find a gym and cycling studio that looks more like a gallery or upmarket hotel than an exercise zone.

Working with only 600sqm of space, The Warehouse GYM looks like anything but a warehouse, with gold-copper highlights, suspended LED lamps and cured concrete bricks giving it an appearance unlike any other gym, anywhere.

The star of the show is unquestionably the semi-transparent glass cube and suspended podium in the centre of the space, which plays host to a cycling studio.

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Designed by VSHD and located in Dubai Design District (D3), the gym unifies what were three separate retail spaces into one boutique fitness operation, but deliberately shies away from using materials that are typically found in gyms and health clubs.

The cycling studio is housed in a semi-transparent cube…

…and features a suspended glass podium overlooking the gym floor.

VSHD says the three spaces would usually have been rented to three commercial tenants, and presented a challenge when it came to combining them into one property.

“We had to make sure that those spaces flow seamlessly in a very functional manner where every type of exercise has its own unique space while they are all still open onto one another to ensure that the different users enjoy the gym’s dynamism and vibrancy,” the designers say.

The gym features spaces to sit and relax after a session.

The gym floor features specially-designed LED suspended lighting.

The reception area doubles as a juice bar and is viewed through 17-metre glass facade that fronts the street, as well as creating a meeting space for gym users.

Retreat further into the facility and there’s a gym floor, the cycling studio and a circuit training factory, all with the same luxe, high-end feel.

The glass cube was also designed to be able accommodate functions other than cycling, based on the gym’s requirements, while the concrete theme has utilitarian purpose, with gym floors and walls taking a heavy pounding from weights and the people who lift them.

As for membership, a one-off visit will cost you around $40, while the gym’s most expensive monthly membership will set you back around $320 per month.